Brussels is Belgium´s capital city; it is also the administrative center and de facto capital of the European Union (EU). The latter designation earned the city its well-known nickname, "Capital City of Europe". There are many theories as to the origin of its name but the most accepted one is that of the Old Dutch term, Broeksel, which is the contraction of "broek" which means "marsh" and "sel" which means "home" to create "home in the marsh".

It is not surprising that Brussels is a busy economic city with several universities and has a complex, advanced transport system. The city also maintained the ancient road networks of the medieval times.

The city is full of landmarks, historical sites, various attractions; these include the Grand Palace, which was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1988, the Royal Palace, the Atomium, the Museum of Modern Art, Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, and the "pentagon" which is actually just a network of boulevards and roads.